DeepSeek ramps up hiring ahead of V4 launch as chip strategy questions swirl

Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek is ramping up recruitment in Inner Mongolia, signalling a potential expansion of its data centre footprint ahead of the much-anticipated release of its V4 model.

The Hangzhou-based company is recruiting for two new roles – server maintenance engineers and delivery managers to oversee data centre launches – in Ulanqab, in Inner Mongolia, according to recent job postings.

The move marks the first time DeepSeek has publicly advertised on-site roles tied directly to its computing infrastructure. Previous recruitment efforts were largely focused on software engineers and AI researchers in hubs such as Hangzhou and Beijing.

The hiring push comes ahead of the expected debut of its next-generation flagship model, V4, more than a year after the release of its R1 model propelled the company into the spotlight.

The upcoming launch has fuelled industry speculation over how DeepSeek is sourcing and deploying computing power and AI chips for the new model.

A report by US news outlet The Information last week said V4 would run on Huawei’s latest Ascend 950PR processor, while a separate report by Reuters last month suggested the model had been trained on Nvidia’s Blackwell chips, the US firm’s most advanced processors to date.